Bishop Serratelli was the main celebrant along with Father Vidal Gonzales, the first Filipino-born priest ordained in the Paterson Diocese and several Filipino priests from around the Diocese at a Mass celebrating two Filipino martyrs held at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson Sept. 24.

Resurrection Parish in Randolph celebrated 40 years as a “truly Second Vatican Council” faith community in central Morris County — and as the first parish that now-Bishop Emeritus Rodimer established in his early days as Bishop of Paterson in 1978 — with a Mass in the church on Sept. 17.

Bishop Serratelli made a pastoral visit to St. Francis de Sales Parish in the McAfee section of Vernon in Sussex County Sept. 24 where he celebrated Mass for the 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time. The parish’s history began in 1963 as a mission, when a former school on Route 94 was purchased and renovated for a church. The mission was advanced to parish status in 1979 and a new church was built in 1986 on Route 517.

Bishop Serratelli, along with bishops in the United States and around the world, joined Pope Francis on Sept. 27 in launching a global campaign, called “Share the Journey,” to support people who are fleeing their homelands and seeking safety and a new life for their families. Also participating in the program are Catholic Relief Services, where Bishop Serratelli is a member of the Board of Directors; Catholic Charities USA and local Catholic Charities agencies in the Diocese of Paterson, and the Church’s global charitable network, Caritas Internationalis.

Bishop Serratelli blessed the new St. Martin Oratory at Delbarton School in Morristown Sept. 17. The new oratory was part of Delbarton’s Trinity Hall renovation, which took place this past summer. It was designed by Benedict Father Edward Seton Fittin, a member of the Delbarton Class of 1982.

Last year, Catholic Family and Community Services (CFCS), an agency of Catholic Charities, served more than 30,000 clients. Whether they were a small child in Passaic County, an immigrant from a foreign land in Morris County or an elderly grandmother in Sussex County, CFCS continues to help the poor and underprivileged in their time of need.

Chris Lowney, a noted Catholic author and speaker, visited the Diocese Sept. 18 and sounded an alarm that has become familiar to many of the faithful — that the wider Church is facing a crisis in the wake of drastic declines in its membership in specific regions around the world, including the U.S. But he arrived at St. Mary Church in Denville armed not only with grim statistics that illustrate the problem, but also with solutions to revitalize the Church.

When Hurricane Harvey hit the Houston area last month, newscasts focusing on the disaster reported how the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) was on the scene ready to help those affected. But so were many houses of worship that willingly opened their doors and welcomed the many who were forced to evacuate their homes. Within their sacred space, they gave them a place to sleep and they fed them. Through their acts of mercy, they were a source of strength to those who had lost everything.

Pope Francis’ recent pastoral visit from Sept. 6 to 11 to Colombia was a great “blessing” to the people of the South American nation who welcomed the pontiff’s powerful message of peace and forgiveness — this after the government and a major rebel group signed a peace accord last year after more than five decades of conflict.

Sunday after Sunday, there’s a special group of people that could be considered the hidden figures behind the celebration of Mass. They aren’t seen but their contribution leaves an indelible mark to the source and summit of the liturgy — the Holy Eucharist. This group ensures that the sacred space of the altar is welcoming and appropriately prepared for worship. Who are they? They are the members of the altar linen ministry.

St. Joseph’s Healthcare System concluded the celebration of its 150th anniversary at a Mass Sept. 9 in Holy Family Chapel, Convent Station, at which the Sisters of Charity of St. Elizabeth, founders and sponsors of St. Joseph’s, were honored. Bishop Serratelli presided at the Mass with Cardinal Joseph Tobin, Archbishop of Newark. The Mass was attended by those from St. Joseph’s Healthcare System, the Sisters of Charity of St. Elizabeth and the faithful from the Paterson Diocese.

Bishop Serratelli made a pastoral visit to Holy Trinity Church in Passaic Sept. 17, and marked the Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time. During his visit, he celebrated the 10 a.m. Mass with Father Antonio Rodriguez, pastor, as the concelebrant. For more than 100 years at Holy Trinity, the 10 a.m. Sunday Mass has been said in German. Holy Trinity is the only parish in the Diocese with a Sunday German-language Mass and one of the only parishes in the Northeast that has a weekly German Mass.

The youngest parishioners at Assumption Parish in Morristown gathered together Sept. 9 before their catechetical sessions started for a day of service. The children are part of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (CGS) program at Assumption, and along with their families and friends remembered the many children hit by the devastating hurricane in the Lone Star State in a special way.

Last Saturday, Bishop Serratelli helped celebrate a century of faith, service and community of St. Catherine of Bologna Parish in Ringwood — often described as a “A Family of Families.” This year the parish commemorates its long, rich history that actually stretches back to 1765 — long before the Revolutionary War, the opening of its first church in 1917 and its elevation to parish status in 1944.

One would think that in 2017 anti-Catholic bigotry would be a thing of the past. But unfortunately it is not. It was on full display in of all places, the U.S. Senate, during what should have been a routine Senate confirmation hearing for a federal judgeship.

Bishop Serratelli celebrated Mass and blessed the new chapel at Newton Memorial Hospital in Newton Aug. 29. In attendance were religious sisters and hospital staff. The Bishop was assisted by Father Martin Rooney, diocesan director of healthcare ministry.

When 23-year-old Sarah Cho, youth minister at St. Michael Parish here traveled to Haiti during the last week of August with a team of six people from her parish, she considered herself an expert mission trip traveler. She previously traveled to Nicaragua on a medical mission during her college years. But although she was armed with experience, she was humbled by the country and the Haitian people and said, “I am not needed. I need them. This trip was not for them. It was for me.”

Bishop Serratelli made a pastoral visit to St. Francis of Assisi Church in Haskell Sept. 3 where he was the principal celebrant of the 10 a.m. Mass for the 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time. During the Mass, Bishop Serratelli announced to the parishioners that he was naming Father Grzegorz Golba as pastor of the parish for a term of six years. Father Golba had been serving as the parish’s administrator.